Hacia una gestión dinámica e integral del paisaje en cuencas de montaña: definición de una estrategia adaptativa a los retos derivados del cambio global
- Autores: Ignacio Pérez Silos
- Directores de la Tesis: José Barquín Ortiz (dir. tes.), César Álvarez Díaz (codir. tes.)
- Lectura: En la Universidad de Cantabria ( España ) en 2021
- Idioma: español
- Títulos paralelos:
- Towards dynamic and integrative landscape management in mountain catchments: definition of an adaptive strategy to global change challenges
- Tribunal Calificador de la Tesis: Antonio Javier Lucio Calero (presid.), Bárbara Ondiviela Eizaguirre (secret.), Isabelle Gounand (voc.)
- Programa de doctorado: Programa de Doctorado en Ingeniería de Costas, Hidrobiología y Gestión de Sistemas Acuáticos por la Universidad de Cantabria
- Materias:
- Enlaces
- Resumen
- español
Los efectos derivados del cambio climático, los cambios en los usos del suelo y la pérdida de biodiversidad dominarán gran parte de los desafíos a los que tendrá que hacer frente la humanidad en los inicios del Antropoceno, especialmente a los relacionados con el agua. En este sentido, el objetivo principal de la tesis es el desarrollo de un marco analítico y operacional para la gestión de cuenca que implique el uso de los elementos naturales del paisaje para responder a las diferentes demandas sociales y ambientales. Las bases conceptuales de este marco requieren la integración de la teoría de los meta-ecosistemas y el marco para la caracterización de servicios ecosistémicos. Basado en estas premisas, hemos desarrollado un novedoso marco de modelado que es capaz de considerar los flujos de sedimento, agua y energía térmica entre ecosistemas terrestres y ecosistemas acuáticos. Esta aproximación nos ha permitido identificar las áreas de la cuenca en la que la conservación y restauración de los hábitats forestales y llanuras de inundación aportan una mayor capacidad de regulación de flujos para mejorar el ecosistema fluvial y generar beneficio potencial a la sociedad. Además, se han explorado los vínculos entre las dinámicas de cambio de usos-cobertura del suelo y el cambio climático, evaluando el efecto de cada uno en la provisión de servicios ecosistémicos relacionados, no solo con la regulación de los flujos anteriormente mencionados, sino con otros servicios de aprovisionamiento.
- English
The effects of climate and land use-cover changes, as well as biodiversity loss will dominate much of the challenges facing humanity in the early Anthropocene. Among all challenges, those related to freshwater ecosystems are likely to be among the most critical, not only because of the risks induced by the dynamics of change, but also because of the inherent vulnerability of freshwater ecosystems. In this context, environmental managers and policy makers are currently showing a strong interest in new approaches that use the capacity of ecosystems to generate benefits, adaptive potential and resilience to the undesired effects of global change (e.g. nature based solutions or green infrastructures). This PhD thesis shows how these new approaches should involve more holistic landscape actions focused on the recovery of ecological processes and functions, based on the negative effects that large-scale afforestation programs have traditionally had on the provision of ecosystem services. In this sense, the main objective of this thesis is the development of an analytical and operational framework for watershed management that involves the use of landscape natural elements to meet multiple demands. The conceptual basis of this framework involves the integration of the meta-ecosystem theory and the ecosystem services characterization framework. Based on these premises we have developed a novel modelling approach that is able to consider sediment, water and thermal energy flows between terrestrial ecosystems and the river ecosystem. This approach has allowed us to identify catchment locations where conservation and restoration of forest and floodplain habitats provide the greatest regulation capacity of flows to improve the river ecosystem and potentially generate benefits for society. In addition, the links between land use-cover change and climate change dynamics have been explored, assessing the effect of each of them on the provision of ecosystem services related not only to the regulation of the above-mentioned flows, but also to other provisioning services (e.g., pasture and agricultural crop production). Our results show how land abandonment dynamics enhance regulating ecosystem services, what reduces the vulnerability of river ecosystems to climate change. However, we have also found that these dynamics often clash with static visions of the landscape that seek to limit change in order to preserve traditional values. The intelligent design of Blue and Green Infrastructure Networks for whole catchments should guarantee an efficient zoning of the territory that maximizes synergies and reduces incompatibilities between the provisioning and regulation ecosystem services. This could be achieved by following a couple of very important premises. On the one hand, the trajectories of those ecosystems in active process of ecological succession towards mature forest systems (i.e. rewilding) and located in areas with regulatory and multifunctional potential should be reinforced. Secondly, the conservation of old-grown forest stands and of the most productive systems related to agricultural and livestock use should be guaranteed. Only through an intelligent design and planning of landscape components that affect flows across ecosystems, we could secure the effectivity of our investments towards the required adaptation to global change effects.
- español
